Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Charles Henderson Middle School students that missed out on a cultural opportunity finally had a chance to visit the International Arts Center on the Troy University campus.

IAC Director and Curator Carrie Jaxon said the Junior Warriors program was founded to get young students on campus to experience a positive experience in a collegiate setting, introduce them to art outside on an educational experience and to provide them with a cultural experience.

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we weren’t able to have the Junior Warriors program in 2020 or 2021,” Jaxon said. “So, we had students from two classes that weren’t able to have the same experience as other students. We didn’t think that was fair to those students. The Alabama State Council on the Arts was able to provide us with a grant to bring the students that missed the opportunity to campus.”

The IAC recently hosted about 120 seventh grade students from Charles Henderson Middle School for the current year’s Junior Warriors program. In the fall, the IAC brought about 240 the fifth and sixth graders to campus that missed the experience because of the pandemic.

The IAC collaborated with the Center for International Languages and Cultures to provide students with both an artistic and cultural experience. While at the IAC, the students were able to attend a variety of workshops and activities. At the CILC, students had an opportunity to tour the center and learn a Dragon Dance and take part in Chinese paper cutting.

“One of the other highlights for the students is having lunch at the Trojan dining hall,” Jaxon said. “The students are able to interact with college students and that helps give them a really positive experience when on campus.”